It's a boy!

It's a boy!

Named for a winner

Decontee Williams was so excited by Barack Obama's victory Tuesday night that she started jumping up and down ... and went into labor. Twelve hours later, Barack Jeilah was born at Phoenix Baptist Hospital to Williams and Prince Jeilah. The baby was 8 pounds, 9 ounces. "

Bookshelf

Among the remainders

Make room on the bookshelf — perhaps somewhere between "Dow 36,000" by Glassman and Hassett or "The End of History and the Last Man" by Fukayama — for the unfortunately named "A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win" by Shelby Steele. Steele, a prolific author on racial issues in America and a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, said by now he's used to the snickering about the title of his book, which was published late last year.

Amazon's top pick

Philip Hensher's "The Northern Clemency" is a British novel that has yet to attract any customer reviews on Amazon.com. But the online retailer's staff reviewers have noticed well, making it Amazon's book of the year. "It quickly became a favorite here as soon as our advance copies arrived," Tom Nissley, Amazon senior books editor, said Sunday. "Its unpredictable and beautifully observed story of two families in Sheffield, England, reminded us of writers from Jonathan Franzen to Anne Tyler."

Passages

Miriam Makeba, 76, the South African singer known to fans worldwide as "Mama Africa" who became an international symbol of the anti-apartheid struggle, died early Monday after performing a concert in southern Italy, a hospital said.

Today in History

1954: The U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, depicting the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945, was dedicated by President Eisenhower in Arlington, Va.

1969: The children's educational program "Sesame Street" made its debut on National Educational Television (later PBS).

Today's Birthdays

Actor Russell Johnson, 84. Blues singer Bobby Rush, 74. Actress-dancer Ann Reinking, 59. Actor Matt Craven 52. Actor-comedian Sinbad, 52. Country singer Chris Cagle, 40. Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan, 40. Actress Ellen Pompeo ("Grey's Anatomy"), 39. Actress Brittany Murphy, 31. Actor Josh Peck, 22.

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